The Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners have battled all season and the winner of the American League West will come down to their season series finale this weekend.
The Astros have led the division for the majority of the season, but their struggles since the All-Star break allowed the Mariners to catch up.
After the Mariners took over the division-lead at the beginning of the week, Houston swept its in-state rivals to win the Silver Boot and regain first place in the division.
Astros Ready For Final Mariners Series
The Astros played arguably their second-most important series of the season this week against the Texas Rangers and walked away with a sweep to regain to top spot in the division
“It started with Peña setting the tone and everybody following,” third baseman Carlos Correa said (h/t houstonchronicle.com). “There were some really good at-bats in that first inning that led us to those two runs.”
The Astros capped off the sweep by defeating Rangers’ pitcher Jacob DeGrom, who the Astros knocked out after five innings and five runs allowed.
Incredible pic.twitter.com/BVYhtt8WCn
— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) September 18, 2025
“That was a big series for us, in terms of not just the standings but in terms of confidence in our team,” shortstop Jeremy Peña said (h/t houstonchronicle.com). “The team’s feeling good. Good energy. And we’re going to keep building off this.”
Now, Houston will play the most important series of its season this weekend when it welcomes the Mariners. The two teams will either be tied atop the AL West, or the Astros will have a one-game lead, depending on Seattle’s outcome in Kansas City on Thursday.
Regardless, the winner of the weekend series will leave with the upper hand. The Astros, coming off a sweep, are feeling confident ahead of another important division series.
The Houston Astros have swept the Texas Rangers, held control of the Silver Boot, and moved back into 1st place in the AL West.
Inevitable. pic.twitter.com/tQ5hcGFtW3
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) September 18, 2025
In all three games against the Rangers, the Astros got on the board early. Houston scored in the first inning in each game, and scored first, leading to momentum throughout the game.
“I think we’re just trying to set the tone,” Peña said (h/t houstonchronicle.com). “I feel like whenever you start in front … it’s always good energy. It’s always good to start out in front and that’s what we did in this series.”
The Astros will need to continue that into this weekend against the Mariners. The sweep of the Rangers put their playoff hopes in real danger, and put the Astros in a great spot.
Now, Houston needs to capitalize with another strong series against Seattle.
“It’s going to be fun,” Correa said (h/t houstonchronicle.com). “It’s pretty much playoff baseball. It’s to see who gets the crown and to win the division. And it’s exciting when those meaningful games come around this late in the season and you have to play for everything.”
The Astros are no strangers to playoff baseball, and they’ll need to perform as if that’s the case the weekend, to punch their ticket to the 2025 postseason. The series gets underway on Friday night and concludes on Sunday Night Baseball.
